Wearable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A wearable electronic device is provided which can prevent the main body of the device from making swinging movement relative to its rigid band portion. The wearable electronic device is provided with: an electronic device main body; a rigid band allowing the electronic device main body to be worn on a neck-like portion; a pivotal coupling mechanism for coupling the rigid band to a casing of the electronic device main body for pivoting movement in two directions between a closed position for surrounding the neck-like portion and an open position for allowing detachment thereof from the neck-like portion, in cooperation with the casing of the electronic device main body. The pivotal coupling mechanism includes an elastic biasing member biasing the rigid band from the closed position toward the open position, and a locking mechanism for open position which locks the rigid band in the open position when the rigid band is in the open position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a wearable electronic device tobe worn on the wrist or the like.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Examples of the wearable electronic device include portableelectronic devices such as a watch, a calculator, and a communicationsdevice, which are composed of electronic circuits and miniaturized so asto be wearable on the wrist. Each of those wearable electronic devicesis constructed of a member constituting a main body for executingfunctions of the wearable electronic device itself and a mounting memberallowing the device to be mounted on the wrist.

[0005] As the wearable electronic devices described above, the applicantof the present invention has invented wearable electronic devices, inwhich the band lengths and the holder angles can be adjusted inaccordance with the thickness of a user's wrist. The applicant disclosedthe inventions in prior patent application Nos. 2000-398981 and2000-400162.

[0006] The wearable electronic device disclosed in each of theseapplications is a wearable electronic device which comprises: a hingefor opening/closing the mounting body of the device, the hinge beingconsisting of a first hinge piece and a second hinge piece; a first holeformed in the first hinge piece; a second hole formed in the secondhinge piece; and latch pins one of which is inserted into the first holeand the other is inserted into the second hole. A user chooses a holefrom among holes having different widths and fits a pin therein, wherebythe mounting member can accommodate its form to the thickness of his/herwrist.

[0007]FIGS. 11A and 11B are a lateral sectional view and a front view ofthe mounting member and the hinge portion of such a wearable electronicdevice, illustrating a specific constructional example thereof. FIG. 11Ais a lateral sectional view showing the entirety of the electronicdevice, and FIG. 11B is a front view showing the hinge portion. Awearable electronic device 120 shown in FIG. 11A is constituted by amain body 121 and two pieces of holders 122 and 123. The holder 122which appears on the left-hand side in the drawing is depicted as beingin its closed state, whereas the holder 123 on the left-hand side isdepicted as being in its open state. The main body 121 and the holders122 and 123 are coupled to each other by hinges. In the surfaces ofhinge pieces 124 and 125 on the sides of the holders 122 and 123, aplurality of holes 126 and 127 are formed radially so as to be alignedalong the direction of the pivotal axis of the hinge.

[0008] In each of hinge pieces 128 and 129 opposing the holes 126 and127, there is formed a hole 130 having a width that changes stepwise inthe pivotal movement direction of the hinge. The hinges on the right andleft sides operate according to the same mechanism. A latch pin 132 thatis urged by a spring is received in the hole 126 provided on one of thehinges. Upon pivoting movement of the holder 122, that is, upon pivotingmovement of the hinge piece 124, the hole 126 also undergoes pivotingmovement. Then, at the time when the hole 126 is brought into a positionto face the hole 130 formed in the hinge piece 128 which opposes thehole 126, the latch pin 132 abuts against the opposing hole 130 to befitted therein. Thus, the hinge piece 124 and the holder 122 beingintegrated therewith are securely fixed in place.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 11B, the hinge pieces 124 and 128 are coupled toeach other as a pivotal movement pair by means of a spring bar 133 and afitting screw 134. A coil spring 135 is passed through the spring bar133, and projecting portions 136 and 137 provided at both ends of thespring bar 133 are made to abut on the associated hinge pieces 124 and128, respectively. Thus, the hinge pieces 124 and 128 are always biasedin the direction for opening the holder.

[0010] In the proposed electronic device described above, however, whena rigid band is in an open position, in the case where a user performs,while holding the rigid band with one of his/her hands (for example, theleft hand), an input operation such as depressing or the like with afinger of the other hand (for example, the right hand) with respect toan input operation portion such as a push button or a key switchprovided in the rigid band, there is a fear that the main body of theelectronic device is swung relative to the rigid band due to vibrationor impact attendant on the input operation. As a result, there is a fearthat the display of the electronic devices becomes hard to view because,for example, a display portion such as one formed in a casing of theelectronic device main body makes swinging movement each time an inputoperation is performed.

[0011]FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing a hole formed in a hinge pieceon the main body side. As described above, a plurality of abutment holes130 are formed and arranged along the direction of the pivotal axis soas to have widths that vary stepwise in the pivotal movement directionof the hinge. In the drawing, the abutment hole 130 is indicated by asolid line, while three holes 126 through one of which the latch pin 132is inserted are indicated by broken lines. In this way, one of the holes126 is chosen to insert the latch pin 132 therethrough. Since the hingepiece is urged in the opening direction, the latch pin 132 abuts on oneside wall of the abutment hole 130, thereby determining the degree ofopening of the holder.

[0012]FIGS. 13A and 13B are lateral sectional views for illustrating howthe hole width affects the degree of opening of the holder. FIG. 13A isa lateral sectional view illustrating a state where the latch pin abutson one side wall of a hole having a small width, and FIG. 13B is alateral sectional view illustrating a state where the latch pin abuts onone side wall of a hole having a large width. As is apparent from acomparison between the both drawings, the hinge piece 124 makes asmaller pivoting movement angle θ₂ from its horizontal position in thecase where a hole having a larger width is selected to fit the latch pintherein, thus allowing the holder to be fitted on a person with a thickwrist. Conversely, a person with a thin wrist may select a hole having asmall width to fit the latch pin therein. Note that the pivotingmovement angle is θ₁ in the example shown in FIG. 13A and the differencein angle between the both examples is obtained as Δθ=θ₁−θ₂. Selection ofa hole for receiving the latch pin therein through a spring can beeasily performed by simply detaching the hinge.

[0013] As has been described above, with the mounting body of thewrist-mounted electronic device according to these previously disclosedinventions, a hole for inserting the latch pin therethrough is selectedfrom among a plurality of holes, whereby the fixing position of theholder can be adjusted according to the manner in which the latch pinabuts on the wall portion having a stepped configuration. Therefore, theholder can be kept at the most suitable position as determined accordingto the thickness of a user's wrist. However, since it is necessary todisassemble the hinge to perform such adjustment, these inventionssuffer from the disadvantage that additional labor is required toperform the disassembly. Further, the possible amount of adjustment isrestricted by the number of the holes provided. In the case where thewrist-mounted electronic device is used by only one person, almost nosubsequent readjustments of the holder fixing position are necessaryafter the initial setting thereof; however, when the device is to beshared among several persons, the positional adjustment of the holderneeds to be frequently performed, resulting in an increased burden ofthe disassembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention has been made in view of theabove-mentioned problems, and therefore an object thereof is to providea wearable electronic device in which swinging movement of the devicemain body relative to a rigid band portion thereof can be suppressed.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanismwhich allows positional adjustment to be easily performed in accordancewith the thickness of a user's wrist without disassembling of a hingeportion, and which also allows the position of the holder to be adjustedin a continuous, non-staged fashion.

[0016] In order to attain the above objects, according to the presentinvention, there is provided a wearable electronic device provided withan electronic device main body, a rigid band for allowing mounting ofthe electronic device, and a coupling mechanism for coupling the rigidband to the electronic device main body, in which the coupling mechanismincludes: an elastic body for elastically biasing the rigid band in anopening direction thereof; and a locking mechanism for locking the rigidband onto the electronic device main body when the rigid band is in itsopen or closed position, so as to suppress swing movement of the rigidband relative to the electronic device main body.

[0017] The wearable electronic device according to the present inventionis provided with “a locking mechanism for locking the rigid band ontothe electronic device main body when the rigid band is in its open orclosed position to thereby suppress swinging movement of the rigid bandrelative to the electronic device main body”. Therefore, when the rigidband is in the open position and when a user performs, while holding therigid band with one of his/her hands (for example, the left hand), forexample, an input operation such as depressing or the like with a fingerof the other hand or the like with respect to an input operation portionsuch as a push button or a key switch provided in the rigid band, evenif vibration or impact attendant on the input operation is exerted onthe rigid band, the locking mechanism serves to prevent the electronicdevice main body from making swinging movement relative to the rigidband due to the vibration or impact. As a result, there is a reducedfear that the display portion of the electronic device main body willmake irregular swinging movements, for example, during an inputoperation, thereby keeping the display of the electronic device easy toview at all times.

[0018] In accordance with the wearable electronic device according tothe present invention, the locking mechanism may be any suitable lockingmechanism for restraining irregular vibrations from occurring betweenthe rigid band and the device main body while the rigid band is beingset in the open or closed position, due to vibrations attendant on, forexample, an input operation on the key input portion. Typically, such alocking mechanism includes: an engaging pin provided to one of theelectronic device main body and the rigid band so as to be capable ofelastically projecting therefrom; and an engaging concave portion whichis formed in the other one of the electronic device main body and therigid band such that the engaging pin is fitted and locked therein whenthe rigid band is in its open or closed position.

[0019] In this case, even if impacts attendant on vibrations such ascaused during an input operation on the key switch propagate from therigid band to the electronic device main body, generation of irregularswinging movements or vibrations of the electronic device main bodyrelative to the rigid band can be restrained or substantially disabledby means of the fitting or locking of the engaging pin in the engagingconcave portion.

[0020] On the other hand, in a typical construction of the wearableelectronic device according to the present invention, the tip portion ofthe locking pin has a rounded configuration and a peripheral wallportion of the locking concave portion is formed of an elastic material.

[0021] In this case, when a somewhat large force is applied onto therigid band in a direction for moving the rigid band from the openposition into the closed position, the peripheral wall portion of theengaging concave portion which is formed of the elastic material isdeformed due to the rounded tip portion of the engaging pin in such amanner as to conform with the shape of the tip portion, and a forceacting in a direction for pushing out the engaging pin is exertedbetween a slant surface resulting from the roundness of the tip portionof the engaging pin and a slant surface of the peripheral wall portionof the engaging concave portion that has been thus elastically deformed,whereby the engaging pin that has been elastically projected isretracted against the elastic force to be dislodged from the engagingconcave portion.

[0022] Thereafter, with no resistance being applied thereon by theengaging concave portion, the rigid band can be easily swung relative tothe electronic device main body to reach its closed position. The tipportion of the engaging pin may have a tapered, instead of rounded,configuration. As the elastic material forming the peripheral wallportion of the engaging concave portion, for example, a urethane resinor a silicone resin may be used, although other arbitrary elasticmaterials may be alternatively used. In this case, in addition to theelasticity of the material for forming the engaging concave portion andthe inclination of the slant surface of the engaging pin, the thicknessof the engaging pin, how much of the pin is to be fitted into theengaging concave portion, and the like can be also appropriatelyselected as desired.

[0023] Note that, in the case where the peripheral wall portion of theengaging concave portion is formed of an elastic material, even if theengaging pin repeatedly abuts against the peripheral wall of theengaging concave portion as the elastic body elastically biases therigid band from the closed position into the open position, there islittle fear of damages being caused as a result, whereby durability ofthe device can be maintained at a high level.

[0024] In the wearable electronic device according to the presentinvention, the coupling mechanism preferably includes: a lockingmechanism for closed position, which locks the rigid band onto theelectronic device main body when the rigid band is in its closedposition; and a locking release mechanism for closed position, whichreleases the locking of the rigid band effected by the locking mechanismfor closed position. Here, the locking mechanism for closed positiontypically comprises: an engaging pin provided to the rigid band so as tobe capable of elastically projecting therefrom; and an engaging concaveportion for closed position, which is formed in the electronic devicemain body. In the case where the engaging pin is provided to the rigidband, the engaging pin of the locking mechanism for closed positiondoubles as the engaging pin of the locking mechanism for open position.

[0025] Further, in accordance with a typical construction of thewearable electronic device of the present invention, the rigid band isprovided with a push button, a key switch, or other such input means andthe display portion is provided in the electronic device main body.However, an arrangement is also possible as occasion demands in whichthe push button, the key switch, or other such input means is providedin the electronic device main body and the display portion is providedin the rigid band.

[0026] Further, one rigid band is arranged on either end side of theelectronic device main body. In that case, as long as one of the rigidbands is constructed as described hereinabove, the other may beconstructed in any manner. Also, in some cases, the rigid band may bearranged in different manners, such that only one such rigid band isprovided only on one end side of the electronic device main body.

[0027] In accordance with the wearable electronic device of the presentinvention, in order to attain the aforementioned objects, the lockingmechanism is characterized by including an adjustment mechanism foradjusting the closed position of the rigid band by adjusting the lockingangle of the engaging pin relative to the engaging concave portion.Therefore, the device can be adapted to various wrist thicknessesaccording to suitable angle settings by the above-mentioned adjustmentmechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the accompanying drawings:

[0029]FIGS. 1A to 1C are views illustrating a wearable electronic deviceaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in whichFIG. 1A is a plan view of the electronic device for explaining the casewhere the rigid band of the electronic device is in an open position,FIG. 1B is a partially cutaway side view of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is apartially cutaway side view similar to FIG. 1B in the case where therigid band of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1A is in a closedposition;

[0030]FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged views illustrating a pivotal couplingmechanism of the electronic device shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, in whichFIG. 2A is an enlarged sectional view for explaining the case where therigid band is in the open position, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged sectionalview for explaining the case where the rigid band is in the closedposition;

[0031]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view for explaining the inside surface sideof the pivotal coupling mechanism of the electronic device shown inFIGS. 1A to 1C;

[0032]FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating modification examples ofthe pivotal coupling mechanism of the electronic device shown in FIGS.1A to 1C, in which FIG. 4A is a partially cutaway side view forexplaining an example where a wall portion around an engaging concaveportion is formed of an elastic material and FIG. 4B is a partiallycutaway side view for explaining an example where an engaging pin isprovided on the main body side;

[0033]FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating a comparison between ahinge portion of the wrist-mounted electronic device of the presentinvention and that of the prior art, in which FIG. 5A is a perspectiveview of the hinge portion according to the prior art and FIG. 5B is aperspective view of the hinge portion according to the presentinvention;

[0034]FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views of the hinge portion, in whichFIG. 6A is a view showing the state where locking of the hinge portionis released and FIG. 6B is a view showing the state where positioning ofthe hinge portion is performed;

[0035]FIGS. 7A and 7B are views illustrating degrees of hinge opening,in which FIG. 7A is a sectional view of the hinge portion on one sideand FIG. 7B is a side view showing the entirety of the wrist-mountedelectronic device;

[0036]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge portionaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037]FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge portionaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0038]FIG. 10 illustrates opposing side surfaces of a center hinge pieceand a cylindrical member in another embodiment of the present invention,in which the drawing on the right side shows the center hinge piece andthe drawing on the left side shows the cylindrical member;

[0039]FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate a wrist-mounted electronic deviceaccording to the prior art, in which FIG. 11A is a side view showing theentirety of the device and FIG. 11B is a plan view of its hinge portion;

[0040]FIG. 12 is a view for explaining a position adjusting mechanismaccording to the prior art; and

[0041]FIGS. 13A and 13B are lateral sectional views for illustrating howthe hole width affects the opening of a holder in the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, a wrist-mounted electronic device 1as a wearable electronic device includes an electronic device main body10 and rigid band portions 20 and 30 that are coupled to end portions 12and 13, respectively, of a casing 11 of the electronic device main body10 such that they can be pivoted about pivotal center axis lines A andB.

[0043] The electronic device main body 10 includes, for example, acircuit main body portion 14 that functions as an electronic device suchas a timepiece, a telephone, or a calculator, and a display panelportion 15 that functions as a display portion of such a device.

[0044] At least one of the rigid band portions 20 and 30 (the bandportion 20 in the example shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C) has an inputdesignating portion 21 such as a push button or a key switch which isused to input data and give designation signals for designatingoperations such as a control to be performed with respect to the circuitmain body portion 14 of the electronic device main body 10. In the casewhere the electronic device 1 has a function as, for example, a portabletelephone, sound collecting holes or the like that are connected to amicrophone are formed inside an edge portion of the rigid band portion20 and sound emitting holes or the like that are connected to a speakerare formed inside an edge portion of the rigid band portion 30.Regardless of the intended application of the electronic device 1, thewearable electronic device 1 is constructed such that a part of thefunctions of the electronic device 1 can be built in the band portions20 and 30. Accordingly, the casings of the band portions 20 and 30 arebasically formed of a relatively hard material so as to make the bandportions 20 and 30 substantially rigid. Of course, the casings of theband portions 20 and 30 may also be partially formed of a flexible orelastic material.

[0045] The rigid band portions 20 and 30 are coupled to their adjoiningend portions 12 and 13 of the electronic device main body 10,respectively, through pivotal coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B (which arecollectively denoted by reference numeral “40” without attaching symbols“A” and “B” when referred to as generically or when no distinction ismade between the both; the same applies to other related portions) ascorresponding swinging coupling mechanisms. The rigid band portion 20 iscoupled to the end portion 12 of the electronic device main body 10through the pivotal coupling mechanism 40A, for pivoting movement indirections A1 and A2 between its open position P1 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B)and its closed position P2 (see FIG. 1C). The rigid band portion 30 iscoupled to the end portion 13 of the electronic device main body 10through the pivotal coupling mechanism 40B, for pivoting movement indirections B1 and B2 between the open position P1 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B)and the closed position P2 (see FIG. 1C).

[0046] When the rigid band portions 20 and 30 are in their closedpositions P2 as shown in FIG. 1C, the rigid bands 20 and 30 are fittedon a wrist portion E of a user's arm so as to surround the wrist portionE in cooperation with the electronic device main body 10. On the otherhand, when the rigid band portions 20 and 30 are in their open positionsP1 as shown in FIG. 1B, the electronic device 1 can be detached from thewrist portion E. Although in the examples shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C therigid band portions 20 and 30 have substantially the same configuration,both the band portions 20 and 30 may have different configurations suchthat one of the rigid band portions 20 and 30 is longer than the other.Since the pivotal coupling mechanisms 40A and 40B are constructed in thesame manner, hereinbelow a description will be made of the pivotalcoupling mechanism 40A as pivotal coupling mechanism 40.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the pivotal coupling mechanism 40 includes: acoupling convexo-concave portion 41 formed in a forward end portion 21of the rigid band portion 20; a coupling convexo-concave portion 42formed in the adjoining end portion 12 of the casing 11 of theelectronic device main body 10 so as to have a configuration beingsubstantially complementary with respect to the coupling convexo-concaveportion 41; a pivotal shaft 43 for coupling a pair of the couplingconvexo-concave portions 41 and 42 pivotally about an axis line A, inorder to allow the rigid band portion 20 to make pivoting movements (A1and A2) about the axis line A between the open position P1 and theclosed position P2 relative to the casing 11 of the electronic devicemain body 10; and a coil spring 44 as an elastic body for exerting onthe rigid band portion 20 a biasing force that acts in the openingdirection A1 so as to bias the rigid band portion 20 toward the openingposition P1 relative to the casing 11 of the electronic device main body10. The pivotal coupling mechanism 40 constitutes a hinge portion forsupporting the rigid band portion 20 in such a manner that the rigidband portion 20 can make pivoting movement about the center axis line Ain the directions A1 and A2 relative to the electronic device main body10. As long as it is capable of biasing the rigid band portion 20 towardthe open position P1, there is no limitation on the specificconstruction of the pivotal coupling mechanism 40. The coil spring 44 isfitted around the pivotal shaft 43 and locked at its both ends 44 a and44 b onto associated end portions 12 and 21 of the device main body 10and the rigid band portion 20, respectively. Note that instead of thecoil spring 44, other kinds of a spring such as a plate spring or atorsion spring, or other kinds of elastic means such as rubber may beused to impart the biasing force. In FIG. 3, symbol 43 a denotes a shaftbody such as a pin for defining the pivotal center axis line A incooperation with the pivotal shaft 43.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the coupling convexo-concave portion42 of the rigid band portion 20 includes a cylindrical convex portion45. The cylindrical convex portion 45 has a hole 47 formed in its radialdirection and opened onto its circumferential surface 46. In the hole47, there are disposed an engaging pin 48 as a locking pin of lockingmeans for open position and a compression spring 49 for biasing the pin48 in a radially outward direction D1.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the coupling convexo-concave portion42 on the casing 11 side of the electronic device main body 10 includesa partially cylindrical concave portion 50 having a partiallycylindrical inner peripheral surface 51 for receiving the cylindricalconvex portion 45 of the coupling convexo-concave portion 42. In thepartially cylindrical inner peripheral surface 51 of the partiallycylindrical concave portion 50, there is formed an engaging concaveportion 52 as a locking concave portion of a locking mechanism, intowhich the tip of the engaging pin 48 having received from the coilspring 49 a biasing force acting in the radially outward direction isprojected and fitted when the rigid band portion 20 is in the openposition P1.

[0050] Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A, when the rigid bandportion 20 is in the open position P1, the tip of the engaging pin 48 isfitted into the engaging concave portion 52 of the partially cylindricalperipheral surface 51 of the coupling convexo-concave portion 42 that isformed in the casing 11 of the electronic device main body 10. Thus, therigid band portion 20 can be held at the open position P1 even when aforce causing pivoting movement about the pivotal axis line in thedirections A1 and A2 acts between the band portion 20 and the casing 11of the electronic device main body 10. As a result, even in the eventthat, for example, irregular vibrations or impacts are propagated fromthe rigid band portion 20 to the electronic device main body 10 due to akey input operation performed with respect to the input designationportion 21 of the rigid band portion 20 such as a key switch, there islittle fear that the casing 11 of the electronic device main body 10swings or otherwise becomes unstable relative to the rigid band portion20.

[0051] Of the coupling convexo-concave portion 42 formed in the casing11 of the electronic device main body 10, as shown in FIG. 4A, aperipheral wall portion 53 thereof including the engaging concaveportion 52 is formed of, for example, a material having relatively highelasticity such as a urethane resin or a silicone resin. As a result, itis possible to minimize the fear of chipping or damages being caused tothe wall surface of the engaging portion 52, even when the engaging pin48 repeatedly abuts on the wall surface of the concave portion 52.

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A, in the cylindrical convex portion 45of the rigid band portion 20, in order to, for example, allow a concaveportion 45 a, which is formed at a proximal portion thereof, to abutagainst a convex portion 12 b formed in an end portion 12 a on the frontcover side of the casing 11 of the electronic device main body 10, theconcave portions 45 a and the convex portions 12 b are formed so as tohave complementary shapes. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A,when the rigid band portion 20 is in the open position P1, the rigidband portion 20 can be supported also at the concave portion 12 b of theend portion 12 a on the front cover side of the casing 11 of theelectronic device main body 10. Here, an arrangement is also possible inwhich a gap remains between the concave portion 45 a and the convexportion 12 b when the rigid band portion 20 is in the open position P1.

[0053] A wall surface 54 of the concave portion 52 which extends in thedirection A2 may be formed to be somewhat inclined, as indicated byimaginary lines 54 a in FIG. 2A. In that case, while the casing 11 ofthe electronic device main body 10 is restrained from swinging orotherwise moving in the direction A2 in response to impacts of a faintmagnitude such as caused by tapping on the key switch 21, when asomewhat large force is applied onto the rigid band portion 20 forcausing its pivoting movement in the direction A2 being a direction forsetting the rigid band portion 20 at the closed position P2, a roundedtip portion 48 a of the engaging pin 48 is caused to move along the wallsurface 54 a whereby the engaging pin 48 is pushed inward in thedirection D2 within the hole 47, thus allowing movement of the rigidband portion 20 in the direction A2 from the open position P1 to theclosed position P2.

[0054] Note that, instead of arranging the hole portion 47, thecompression spring 49, and the engaging pin 48 in the couplingconvexo-concave portion 41 of the rigid band portion 20, as shown inFIG. 4B, these may be arranged in the coupling convexo-concave portion42 of the electronic device main body 10. In that case, as shown in FIG.4B, instead of arranging the engaging concave portion 52 in the couplingconvexo-concave portion 42 of the electronic device main body 10, it isarranged in the coupling convexo-concave portion 41 of the rigid bandportion 20.

[0055] Further, in the case where a length which the locking mechanismoccupies along the direction of the axis line A (i.e. the width of thehinge portion) may be relatively large, the engaging pin 48 and theengaging concave portion 52 which constitute a locking mechanism may beopposed and engaged with each other, for example, in an end surfaceperpendicular to the axis line A, instead of being opposed and engagedwith each other in peripheral surfaces 46 and 51 of the couplingconvexo-concave portions 41 and 42.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 2B, the coupling convexo-concave portion 42 onthe casing 11 side of the electronic device main body 10 is furtherprovided with another concave portion 55 with which the tip of theengaging pin 48 in the coupling convexo-concave portion 41 of the rigidband portion 20 engages when the rigid band portion 20 is in the closedposition P2. This inside concave portion 55 is communicated with aconcave portion 57 on the front surface side through a small-diameterthrough hole 56. Situated at the concave portion 57 on the front surfaceside is a head portion 61 of a push button 60 having its bottom endportion 62 extended to the rear-side concave portion 55. Thelarge-diameter bottom end portion 62 of the push button 60 is lockedonto a wall surface 58 of the small-diameter hole portion 56 to be heldwithin the concave portion 55. In this example, the engaging pin 48 andthe inside concave portion 55 constitute locking means for closedposition while the push button 60 constitutes locking release means forclosed position. Note that the push button 60 may also be biased in adirection F1 by a compression spring or the like.

[0057] When the rigid band portion 20 is in the closed position P2, asshown in FIGS. 1C and 2B, the tip of the engaging pin 48 in the couplingconvexo-concave portion 41 of the rigid band portion 20 is fitted intothe concave portion 55 formed in the peripheral surface 51 of thecoupling convexo-concave portion 42 of the casing 11 of the device mainbody 10, thus restraining the rigid band portion 20 from making pivotingmovements in the directions A1 and A2. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 1Cand 2B, in the cylindrical convex portion 45 of the band portion 20, forexample, a concave portion 45 b formed at a proximal portion thereof anda convex portion 12 d formed in an end portion 12 c on the rear coverside of the casing 11 of the electronic device main body 10 are formedto have complementary shapes such that the concave portion 45 can befitted with the convex portion 12 d. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1Cand 2B, when the rigid band portion 20 is in the closed position P2, therigid band portion 20 can be supported also at the convex portion 12 dof the end portion 12 c on the rear cover side of the casing 11 of theelectronic device main body 10. Here, it is also possible to adopt anarrangement in which a gap remains between the concave portion 45 b andthe convex portion 12 d when the rigid band portion 20 is in the closedposition P2.

[0058] In the state where the rigid band portion 20 of the electronicdevice 1 is in the closed position P2, when the push button 60 is pushedin a direction F2, the engaging pin 48 of the rigid band portion 20 ispushed in the direction D2 being a radially inward direction by thelarge-diameter bottom end portion 62 of the pushbutton 60 and retracted.As the engaging pin 48 is retracted in the direction D2, the rigid bandportion 20, having received from the coil spring 44 a biasing forcebiasing it in the direction A1 toward the open position P1, is pivotedin the direction A1 relative to the casing 11 of the electronic devicemain body 10. When the engaging pin 48 is retracted to the positioncorresponding to the peripheral surface 46, under the influence of thespring 44, it is pivoted in the direction A1 to reach the open positionP1. During this pivoting movement, the tip portion of engaging pin 48performs sliding movement along the peripheral surface 46.

[0059] The mounting mechanism with adjustment function which is employedin the wrist-mounted electronic device of the present invention isdesigned as a mechanism with the ability to adjust the degree of closingof the holder in a non-staged, continuous fashion according to thethickness of a user's wrist that differs from person to person, tothereby maintain the electronic device at its most suitable position. Assuch, instead of adopting the conventional arrangement such as one shownin FIG. 5A in which one hinge piece 124 and the other hinge piece 128are directly engaged with each other using a locking pin 132 insertedinto a hole formed in the one hinge piece 124, the mechanism adopts anarrangement in which, as shown in FIG. 5B, a member 110 is formedseparately so as to intervene between the one hinge piece 124 and theother hinge piece 128 and the engaging pin 48 is inserted into a holeformed in the member 110 to thereby allow the relative angle of themember 110 to be continuously changed with respect to the one hingepiece 124, thus making it possible to adjust the positional relationshipbetween the one hinge 124 and the other hinge 128 in a non-staged,continuous fashion. Further, for allowing such adjustment of thepositional relationship to be conducted without disassembling thehinges, the present invention adopts a mechanism whereby the memberintervening between the both hinge pieces has its angle adjusted bymanipulation from the outside.

[0060]FIGS. 6A and 6B are enlarged views of holes formed in the hingepiece on the main body side. FIG. 6A is a lateral sectional viewillustrating a state where the hinge is not fixed, and FIG. 6B is alateral sectional view illustrating a state where the hinge is fixed. Asshown in FIG. 6A, while a holder 122 is being in its open position, theengaging pin 48 rests within the hole 126 due to obstruction by theopposing hinge piece 128. In FIG. 6B, the engaging pin 48 is fitted in ahole 130 formed in the hinge piece 128 on the main body 121 side, and aforce for opening the holder 122 which is produced by a not-shown coilspring causes the engaging pin 48 to abut on one side wall of the hole130 to be thus secured thereto. In this way, the holder 122 ispositioned to be in its closed state.

[0061] A push-out bar 138 is integrated with a push button 139 formaking vertical movement so as to push back the engaging pin 48 fittedin the hole 130 (131). In this state, when the push button 139 isdepressed so as to push the engaging pin 48 inwardly into the hole 126while resisting a force applied by the spring, the locking between thehole 130 and the engaging pin 48 is released and the holder 122 islifted up due to the force applied by the spring coil, whereby the stateshown in FIG. 6A is attained for allowing detachment of the electronicdevice from the wrist. When attaching the electronic device onto thewrist, the hinge 122 (123) being in its opened state as shown in FIG. 6Ais caused to pivot against the force of the coil spring, whereby theengaging pin 48 slides on the surface of the associated hinge 128 (129)to eventually reach the position of the hole 130 (131) and then isinserted therethrough due to the spring force, so that the state shownin FIG. 6B is attained. The above state corresponds to the state wherethe electronic device is being worn.

[0062] Note that the number of the holders to be joined by the hingesmay be either one or two. Further, it is preferable to provide at thetip of the push-out bar 138 a plate P having a large sectional area.Further, depressing of the push button 139 is facilitated when it isbiased toward the outside of the device main body so as to return to itsoriginal position. As described hereinabove, according to thewrist-mounted electronic device of this embodiment of the invention, thefitting between the engaging pin and the hole is released by means ofthe push button to bring the holder into its opened state, whereby thewrist-mounted electronic device can be readily detached from the wrist.

[0063] As a mechanism for adjusting the degree of hinge opening, thepresent invention includes: a cylindrical member having the engaging pininserted therethrough and intervening between the hinge piece on themain body side and the hinge piece on the holder side which togetherconstitute the hinge; and a mechanism for adjusting from the outside therotation angle of the cylindrical member relative to one of the hingepieces. While the engaging pin is being fitted in an associated fittinghole formed in the other hinge piece, the rotation angle of thecylindrical member relative to the one hinge piece is adjusted by theabove-mentioned adjustment mechanism, for adaptation to the thickness ofthe wrist. The mechanism allowing the rotation angle of the cylindricalmember to be adjusted from the outside consists of: a cam groove formedin the cylindrical member; a sliding member having embedded therein apin engaging with the cam groove, the sliding member being held so as tobe unrotatable yet to be slidable in one direction with respect to theone hinge piece; and a screw whose head is exposed to the exteriorsurface of the hinge portion and which allows positional adjustment ofthe sliding member in such a manner that the sliding member can moveforward/backward in one direction. Here, the cylindrical member isrotationally displaced by means of the cam through the pin for adjustingthe position of the sliding member in one direction with theabove-mentioned screw, whereby adaptation to various wrist thicknessescan be performed in a continuous manner based on such rotationaldisplacement.

[0064] The degree of hinge opening is adjusted in the manner describedabove. Now, an illustration will be given of the degree of hinge openingby way of FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG. 7A is an enlarged sectional view of ahinge portion on one side. FIG. 7B is a sectional view illustrating theentirety of the wrist-mounted electronic device. The drawings illustratethree mounting states respectively corresponding to the cases where thedevice is being worn on a thin wrist, a middle-thickness wrist, and athick wrist, although in actuality such mounting state may be changedcontinuously in accordance with the pivoting movement of the cylindricalmember. The angle adjustment may be performed in a continuous,non-staged fashion, and further the adjustment may be made at hinges onboth sides of the device, thus enabling the angle adjustment to beperformed with a high degree of freedom. As described above, inaccordance with the mounting body of the wrist-mounted electronic deviceof this embodiment, the fixing position of the band can be changed bycausing the sliding member to move forward/backward to thereby adjustthe rotation angle of the cylindrical member. As a result, the band canbe maintained at a position that is most suitable for a given wristthickness.

[0065] Further, in accordance with the present invention, when mountingthe wrist-mounted electronic device onto the wrist, the band is fixed inplace by means of the locking between a hole provided in the hinge andthe engaging pin, the user may simply press the holder against his/herwrist without regard to the fitting position or state. Further, if thedevice is provided with two holders, a microphone and a speaker of aportable telephone or the like may be built in each of the holders.According to such an arrangement, based on the similarity between thelength around a wrist and the distance between an ear and a mouth, it ispossible to construct a wrist-mounted electronic device that may be usedby both being worn on the wrist and being held against the ear and themouth.

[0066]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the hinge portionbetween the main body 121 and the holder 122. Provided between the hingepiece 128 on the main body 121 side and the hinge piece 124 on theholder 122 side is the cylindrical member 110. As is apparent from anenlarged sectional view indicated by an arrow in the drawing, thecylindrical member is formed having a solid portion at its one end side.In the solid portion, the hole 126 into which the engaging pin 48 isinserted is formed in its radial direction and a screw hole is formed inits axial direction in the center of the end portion. The other end sideof the cylindrical member is formed so as to be hollow and long holes111 serving as cam grooves are formed on both sides of its side wall ina symmetrical manner. Fitted in this hollow portion is a sliding member112. The sliding member 112 has on its one side a through hole forinserting therethough the pin 113 engaging with the long holes 111 andhas a rectangular flat cross section on the other side. A screw hole forthreaded engagement with an adjust screw 115 is formed in the axialdirection at the center of its end portion.

[0067] The pin 113 is inserted into the above-mentioned through hole,and the both ends of the pin engage with the above-mentioned long holes,thus constituting the cam mechanism. During assembly of the device, theexterior of the cylindrical member 110 is covered with a cover 114 toprevent the pin from falling off. The cover 114 has a notch formed in amanner unobstructive to the engaging pin 48. The hinge piece 124 on theholder 122 side consists of a member situated at the center thereof andmembers at its both ends. The member situated at the center has a squarehole 124 a having a rectangular cross section in which a flat portion112 a of the sliding member is fitted. The fitting between the bothmembers may be of any suitable fitting to allow sliding movement of thesliding member in the axial direction yet to restrain rotation thereofabout its axis. As such, the cross sectional shape needs not be arectangle but may be any shape insofar as it is not circular about theaxis.

[0068] The hinge piece 128 on the main body side consists of two hingepieces provided on right and left sides thereof. As for the assembly ofthis hinge member, the two hinge pieces are arranged between theabove-mentioned three hinge pieces 124 on the holder side in a manner ofcomb teeth. Disposed inside the hinge piece 128 on the left hand side inthe drawing is a hinge spring 135 urging the main body 121 and theholder 122 in the opening direction. This mechanism is the same as thatemployed in the conventional device shown in FIG. 11. Between the hingepiece 128 on the right side and the center hinge piece 124 on the holderside, the sliding member 112 is fitted and inserted into theabove-mentioned cylindrical member 110 while being covered with thecover 114. At this time, the respective members are joined such that theflat portion 112 a of the sliding member is fitted in the rectangularsquare hole 124 a formed in the center hinge piece 124. The adjust screw115 is inserted through the axis hole from the left end of the hingepiece 124 and the tip portion of the screw is brought into threadedengagement with the central screw hole formed in the sliding body 113.Then, a retaining ring 117 is inserted from a space formed between thehinge pieces and fitted in a circumferential groove portion which isprovided in the base portion of the adjust screw 115 where no threadgroove is formed, thereby positioning the adjust screw 115 in the axialdirection of the hinge piece 124 and preventing it from falling off. Ascrew 116 is inserted through the central screw hole from the right endside of the hinge piece 124 to be brought into threaded engagement withthe screw hole formed at the right end of the cylindrical member 110.

[0069] In the state of assembly as described above, rotating the adjustscrew 115 causes the sliding member 112, whose rotation is restrainedyet whose displacement in the axial direction is permitted, to bedisplaced forward/backward in the axial direction in accordance with theamount of rotation. The direction of such displacement depends on thethread groove and the direction of rotation. As the sliding member 112is displaced, the pin 113 embedded therein is also displaced to causethe cylindrical member 110, with which the pin 113 engages through thelong holes 111, to be rotationally displaced due to the cam mechanism.Into the hole 126 formed in the cylindrical member 110 is inserted theengaging pin 48 through a spring material provided at its tip portion.The rotation angle of the engaging pin 48 relative to the hinge piece124 depends on the rotational displacement of this cylindrical member110. As the holder 122 is caused to pivot from its open state shown inFIG. 6A in the direction for strapping it on the wrist against thespring force of the hinge spring 135, the engaging pin 48 is caused toslide on the surface of the hinge piece 128 to eventually reach theposition of the hole 130 and then is inserted into the hole 130 due tothe spring force, thus attaining the state shown in FIG. 6B. Theposition where the holder 122 is locked depends on the positionalrelationship between the hole 130 formed in the hinge piece on the mainbody side and the engaging pin 48 inserted into the above-mentionedcylindrical member 110. In the present invention, the cylindrical member110 is provided as a member intervening between the hinge piece 128 onthe main body 121 side and the hinge piece 124 on the holder 122 side,and the angle it forms relative to these hinge pieces can be adjustedusing the above-mentioned adjust pin, whereby adaptation to thethickness of the user's wrist can be performed as appropriate. Moreover,such adjustment can be performed easily from the outside without thenecessity of disassembling device parts or the like.

[0070] Next, an illustration will be given of another embodiment of thepresent invention, in which the adjust screw 115 is inserted through thecenter hinge piece 124 on the holder side, the sliding member 112 isslidingly displaced in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction,and the cylindrical member 110 is rotationally displaced by means of thecam mechanism. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the hingeportion between the main body 121 and the holder 122. In the drawing, amember intervening between the hinge piece 128 on the main body 121 sideand the hinge piece 124 on the holder 122 side is the cylindrical member110. As is apparent from an enlarged sectional view indicated by anarrow in the drawing, the hole 126 for inserting the engaging pin 48therethrough is formed on one end side of the cylindrical member 110 inthe radial direction thereof, and the screw hole is formed at the centerof its end portion in the axial direction. A long groove 111′ serving asa cam groove is formed in the other end side surface of the cylindricalmember 110 in a manner as shown in the side view on the right hand sideof FIG. 10.

[0071] Further, as shown in the side view on the left hand side of FIG.10, in a surface of the center hinge piece 124 on the holder side whichis in contact with the cylindrical member 110, there are formed a longgroove 124 a having a rectangular cross section and a through hole whichextends from an exterior surface of the hinge piece to the long groove124 a and into which the adjust screw 115 is inserted. The slidingmember 112 having a rectangular cross section is fitted in this longgroove 124 a so as to be slidable along the longitudinal directionthereof. Formed at the center of the cross section of the sliding member112 is a though hole having a thread groove formed along thelongitudinal direction thereof, and the pin 113 to be engaged with theabove-mentioned long groove 111′ is embedded in one end portion of itsside surface. The cross sectional shapes of the long groove 124 a andthe sliding member 112 need not to be rectangular but may be anysuitable shapes for allowing sliding movement of the sliding member 112in the radial direction.

[0072] This embodiment of the invention is the same as the precedingembodiment in that: the hinge piece 128 on the main body side consistsof two hinge pieces provided on right and left sides thereof; as for theassembly of this hinge member, the two hinge pieces are arranged betweenthe above-mentioned three hinge pieces 124 on the holder side in amanner of comb teeth: and that the hinge spring 135 is disposed insidethe hinge piece 128 on the right hand side in the drawing, for urgingthe main body 121 and the holder 122 in the opening direction. Theabove-mentioned sliding member 112 is fitted into the long groove 124 ahaving a rectangular cross section and the adjust screw 115 is passedthrough the long groove 124 a from the exterior surface of the hingepiece 124 so as to bring the tip portion of the screw into threadedengagement with the central screw hole formed in the sliding body 112.Then, the retaining ring 117 is inserted onto an upper wall surface ofthe long groove 124 a and fitted in a circumferential groove portionwhich is provided in the base portion of the adjust screw 115 where nothread groove is formed, thereby positioning the adjust screw 115 in theradial direction of the central hinge piece 124 and preventing it fromfalling off. In this state, the cylindrical member 110 is insertedbetween the hinge piece 128 on the left side and the center hinge piece124 on the holder side. At this time, the respective members are coupledsuch that the pin 113 of the sliding member 112 is fitted in the longgroove 111′ of the above-mentioned cylindrical member 110. The screw 116is inserted through the central screw hole from the right end side ofthe hinge piece 124 into threaded engagement with the screw hole formedat the right end of the cylindrical member 110.

[0073] In the state of assembly as described above, rotating the adjustscrew 115 causes the sliding member 112, whose displacement in theradial direction is allowed, to be displaced forward/backward inaccordance with the amount of rotation. The displacement and itsdirection depend on the thread groove and the direction of rotation. Asthe sliding member 112 is displaced, the pin 113 embedded therein isalso displaced to cause the cylindrical member 110, with which the pin113 engages through the long groove 111′, to be rotated and displaceddue to the cam mechanism. Into the hole 126 formed in the cylindricalmember 110 is inserted the engaging pin 48 through a spring materialprovided at its tip portion. The rotation angle of the engaging pin 48relative to the hinge piece 124 depends on the rotational displacementof this cylindrical member 110. This embodiment is the same as thepreceding embodiment in that this rotational displacement is utilized toperform positional adjustment of the holder.

[0074] The mounting mechanism with position adjusting function which isemployed in the wrist-mounted electronic device of the present inventionis designed as a mechanism with the ability to adjust from the outsidethe rotation angle, relative to one of the hinges, of the member havingthe latch pin embedded therein and intervening between the hinge pieceon the main body side and the hinge piece on the holder side whichtogether constitute the hinge. As is obvious from the foregoingexamples, a wide variety of implementation modes may be adopted asspecific means for realizing such a mechanism. In the foregoingembodiments, there is adopted a mechanism in which the rotation of theadjust screw is converted into linear displacement and the lineardisplacement is then converted into rotational displacement of thecylindrical member by means of the cam mechanism; however, the presentinvention is not limited to this and it is also possible to employ agear mechanism. Any suitable mechanism may be adopted insofar as itallows manipulation from the outside and can cause the cylindricalmember to be rotationally displaced in response to such manipulation.

[0075] In accordance with the wearable electronic device of the presentinvention, when a rigid band is in an opening position and when a userperforms, while holding the rigid band with one of his/her hands (forexample, the left hand), an operation such as depressing or the likewith the other hand (for example, the right hand) with respect to aninput operation portion such as a push button or a key switch providedin the rigid band, even if vibration or impact attendant on the inputoperation is exerted on the rigid band, the locking mechanism serves toprevent the electronic device main body from making swinging movementrelative to the rigid band due to the vibration or impact. As a result,there is a reduced fear that the display portion of the electronicdevice main body will make irregular swinging movements upon performing,for example, an input operation, whereby the display of the electronicdevice is kept easy to view at all times.

[0076] The mounting mechanism with position adjusting function which isemployed in the wrist-mounted electronic device according to the presentinvention includes: the cylindrical member having the engaging pininserted therethrough and intervening between the hinge piece on themain body side and the hinge piece on the holder side which togetherconstitute the hinge: and the mechanism for adjusting from the outsidethe rotation angle of the cylindrical member relative to one of thehinge pieces. The engaging pin has its angle adjusted by theabove-mentioned adjustment mechanism while being fitted and locked ontothe fitting hole formed in the other hinge piece, thereby allowingadaptation to various wrist thicknesses. Therefore, such adjustment canbe performed in a non-staged, continuous fashion, thus allowing anoptimum adjustment at all times irrespective of the thickness of theuser's wrist. Moreover, such adjustment can be easily performed withoutthe trouble of disassembling the device parts.

[0077] As the mechanism for allowing the rotation angle of thecylindrical member to be adjusted from the outside, there may beemployed a mechanism constituted by: the cam groove formed in thecylindrical member; the sliding member having embedded therein the pinengaging with the cam groove, the sliding member being held so as to beslidable in the axial direction with respect to one hinge piece yet tobe incapable of rotating movement; and the screw whose head is exposedthrough an end portion of the hinge and which serves to adjust thesliding member in position such that it can move forward/backward in theaxial direction, or a mechanism constituted by: the cam groove formed inthe cylindrical member; the sliding member having embedded therein thepin engaging with the cam groove, which is held so as to be capable ofsliding movement in the radial direction with respect to the one hingepiece; and the screw whose head is exposed to the exterior surface ofthe above-mentioned hinge piece and which serves to adjust the slidingmember in position such that the sliding member can moveforward/backward in the radial direction. Each of these mechanisms has asimplified structure as an adjusting mechanism and the adjustment can beperformed in a non-staged, continuous fashion by simple manipulationsuch as pivoting the adjust screw, thereby allowing an optimumadjustment at all times irrespective of the thickness of the user'swrist.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable electronic device comprising: anelectronic device main body; a rigid band for allowing mounting of theelectronic device; and a coupling mechanism for coupling the rigid bandto the electronic device main body, wherein the coupling mechanism has:an elastic body for elastically biasing the rigid band in an openingdirection thereof; and a locking mechanism for locking the rigid bandonto the electronic device main body when the rigid band is in its openor closed position, in order to suppress swinging movement of the rigidband relative to the electronic device main body.
 2. A wearableelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanismcomprises: an engaging pin provided to one of the electronic device mainbody and the rigid band so as to be capable of elastically projectingtherefrom; and an engaging concave portion which is formed in the otherone of the electronic device main body and the rigid band such that theengaging pin is fitted and locked therein when the rigid band is in itsopen or closed position.
 3. A wearable electronic device according toclaim 2, wherein: the engaging pin has a rounded configuration at itstip portion; and the engaging concave portion is formed of an elasticmaterial in its peripheral wall portion.
 4. A wearable electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism includes: a lockingmechanism for closed position, which locks the rigid band onto theelectronic device main body when the rigid band is in its closedposition; and a locking release mechanism for closed position, whichreleases the locking of the rigid band effected by the locking mechanismfor closed position.
 5. A wearable electronic device according to claim4, wherein the locking mechanism for closed position comprises: anengaging pin provided to the rigid band so as to be capable ofelastically projecting therefrom; and an engaging concave portion formedin the electronic device main body such that the tip portion of theengaging pin is fitted and locked therein when the rigid band is in itsclosed position.
 6. A wearable electronic device according to claim 5,wherein the locking release mechanism for closed position comprises apushing mechanism for pushing from the outside the engaging pin that isfitted and locked in the engaging concave portion.
 7. A wearableelectronic device according to claim 2, wherein the locking mechanismincludes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the closed position ofthe rigid band by adjusting a locking angle of the engaging pin relativeto the engaging concave portion.
 8. A wearable electronic deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises: acylindrical member provided with the engaging pin; and an adjustingscrew engaging with the cylindrical member and capable of causing thecylindrical member to rotate.
 9. A wearable electronic device accordingto claim 7, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises: a cylindricalmember provided with the engaging pin and having a cylinder portion, thecylinder portion having in a side surface thereof a long hole thatpenetrates from an outer peripheral portion to an inner peripheralportion thereof; a sliding member which has a convex portion to beengaged with the long hole and is inserted into the cylinder portion ofthe cylindrical member; and an adjusting screw engaging with the slidingmember and capable of causing the sliding member to rotate, and whereinthe sliding member is rotated by means of the adjusting screw to allowsliding movement of the convex portion within the long hole, to therebyadjust a locking angle of the engaging pin relative to the engagingconcave portion.
 10. A wearable electronic device according to claim 7,wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises: a cylindrical memberprovided with the engaging pin and having a long hole formed on an endsurface thereof; a sliding member which has a convex portion to beengaged with the long hole and is capable of sliding movement in aradial direction of the cylindrical member; and an adjusting screwengaging with the sliding member and capable of causing the slidingmember to make linear movement, and wherein the sliding member islinearly moved by means of the adjusting screw to allow sliding movementof the convex portion within the long hole, to thereby adjust a lockingangle of the engaging pin relative to the engaging concave portion.